SLANG, IDIOMS & EXPRESSIONS
(I periodically add terms.)


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I deliberately have included some rude words, but avoided vulgar terms. These should not be used. Terms with (pronoun) or (noun) indicate that alternate words can be used within the ( ).

Term
Definition
"M"
Made man Mafia member who has killed someone (Don Julio is surrounded with made men.)
Magpie Person who talks too much (I heard that Suzie is a real magpie.)
Make a clean breast of it To tell the truth; expose the facts
Make a night of it To enjoy; get drunk (They certainly made a night of it.)
Make a stand To hold a position (The troops will make a stand near the river.)
Make big To succeed (I'm going to make it big in movies.)
Make do Have or be sufficient to succeed (We have enough food to make do.)
Make fun of To ridicule (Students often make fun of people that don't like.)
Make good on To fulfill (Steve must make good on his promise.)
Make hay while the sun shines Take action now (You better make hay while the sun shines.)
Make head spin Flabbergasted; unbelievable (His lies can make my head spin.)
Make it To arrive (We made it to Hawaii on a jumbo jet.)
Make it back To return (We probably can make it back home before midnight.)
Make no bones about To admit openly (Mom made no bones about opposing a trip to New York.)
Make out To kiss; have an amorous experience (Don't let teenagers make out tonight.)
Make sure To guarantee; ensure (Make sure to include me at your party.)
Make the cut To be chosen (John made the cut and is now on the team.)
Make the dust fly To cause trouble (Her actions will make the dust fly.)
Make the flesh crawl To be repulsive (Vampire movies make my flesh crawl.)
Make the fur fly To cause trouble (She's going to make the fur fly for sure.)
Man Slang term for a "friend" [even refers to a boy] (Hey man, I need help.)
Man! Mild expletive (Man, I don't like that hat!)
Mark, a Targeted gullible person (Con men are on the lookout for a good mark.)
Mealy-mouthed Sycophantic (I can't stand that mealy-mouthed politician.)
Mean Skillful (Jeremy plays a mean horn.)
Mean business To be serious (Be careful, that man means business.)
Mean-mouth Verbal criticism; gossip (Samantha often mean-mouths other girls in her class.)
Mental case Crazy person (Martha is so despondent that she may become a mental case.)
Mellow Calm; peaceful (Melissa is a mellow person.)
Merry-go-round Boring life (I'm tired of this merry-go-round.)
Mess Disorderly (Little boys usually make a mess when they play.)
Mess around Act inappropriately (I'm not going to mess around.)
Mess around with To use; exploit (Joe likes to mess around with other people's goods.)
Mess with To violate or bother (You can't mess with our equipment.)
Might could Might [Southern dialect] (Bubba might could meet us at the ball game tonight.)
Mill about To congregate (Molly noticed 25 people milling about after the dance.)
Millstone A burden (Barney is a millstone, who stifles any creative thoughts.)
Milquetoast Coward; weak person (A Milquetoast refuses to defend his family from a bully.)
Mind in the gutter Think dirty thoughts (We think his mind is in the gutter.)
Mind is a blank Cannot remember (I'm sorry, but my mind's a blank.)
Mind (your) own business Not interfere with other people (You should mind your own business.)
Mind (your) p's and q's Be careful; act appropriately
Mind-blowing Fantastic (Nikki thought the movie's special effects were mind-blowing.)
Miss by a mile Not even close (Matt missed catching his girlfriend by a mile.)
Miss for the world Must see or do (I wouldn't miss this for the world!)
Miss is as good as a mile, a Expression that means: Not even close
Miss the boat Too late; to fail (Suzie missed the boat on that assignment.)
Mite, a Small amount (Nick will only take a mite of drink.)
Mixed bag, a Odd assortment (Melissa sure has a mixed bag of friends.)
Monkey around To play; be foolish (You'll get in trouble if you keep monkeying around.)
Monkey business Foolishness; insincere acts (Samantha gave Manuel the monkey business.)
Monkey with Use without familiarity (You should not monkey with that new computer.)
Mooch To freeload; a freeloader (Bobby loves to mooch off his friends.)
Moon Expose the bare butt as an insult (Students mooned school officials as part of a protest.)
Moon around To mope (I don't want Carl to moon around here just because he's lonely.)
Moonlight Work a second job at night (David doesn't want his boss to know he moonlights.)
Moonshine 1. Nonsense (That sounds like a lot of moonshine to me.)
2. Homemade liquor (Federal agents are looking for the moonshine still.)
Moonstruck Mesmerized by love (Hitomi was moonstruck after meeting a new boyfriend.)
Mop the floor with To beat someone (Fred mopped the floor with that bully.)
Mop up To clean (Jeannie mopped up the floor.)
Mop-up To complete a military action (First division will conduct the mop-up.)
More fun than a barrel of monkeys Very fun
More power to (you) Be successful (More power to you if you think it will work.)
More than meets the eye Unexpected result or ability (There's more to Steve than meets the eye.)
Mosey on Unhurried travel [Cowboy talk] (Those cowboys will mosey on to the ranch.)
Moth-eaten Old and with holes (Martin should dump his moth-eaten clothes.)
Move in To enter permanently (A new family moved in next door to us.)
Muckle onto To fight (Roberto muckled onto a big man.)
Muff To make a mistake (Peter muffed his chance to date Mary-Jane.)
Mug A face (Jeanie likes to admire her mug in the mirror.)
Mug shot Police photograph of a criminal's face (Each suspect has mug shots taken.)
Mule-headed Stubborn (Peter is too mule-headed to listen.)
Mushmouth To speak incoherently (I can't understand that mushmouth.)
My word 1. To promise (I give my word on that.)
2. Mild expression of surprise (My word! I thought it could not be done.)
My stars Mild expression of surprise (My stars! I didn't expect you to come this early.)

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